Watching Movie End Credits

When you watch a movie, do you continue watching until the bitter end? I mean, do you watch the movie end credit?

Gary Susman of Moviefone does. And he tells us why we should:

As long as we were stuck with lengthy end credit scrolls, however, there was no reason they couldn't be made entertaining as well. Best early example, from the mid-'80s, was 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' As the names scrolled by, we still got to watch Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) suffer more humiliation. Finally, after the last name had appeared, Ferris himself (Matthew Broderick) came back to scold us, as if we were partygoers who'd stayed too long, urging us to go home.

Some of my favorite credits date from this period. There was 'The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension,' where all the characters got together for a little parade. There was 'Repo Man,' which is one of the few movies I've seen where the credits scrolled from top to bottom instead of the other way. There was 'This Is Spinal Tap,' full of more side-splitting improv from the characters. And there was 'She's Having a Baby,' full of cameos from celebrities who weren't even in the movie, each with a suggested name for the baby born at the end of the film.

Link - Thanks Brian! (Photo: LenhillAdvanced from Flickr's The End pool)

I, for one, always watch the end titles of Jackie Chan's movies for the bloopers ;)

See also: The Stories Behind Hollywood Studio Logos


Unfortunately, for like 9 out of every 10 movies, the end credits are nothing but a list of names scrolling against a black background. I'm not going to sit through all of them in hopes that something funny or interesting will happen at the end.
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And just to note, if you find yourself curious which movies have some interesting after-the-credits scenes, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has a section for that: in a movie's entry, along with "trivia" and "goofs", there's a "crazy credits" section.
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Marvel Studios seems to have gotten into the habit of installing mini-clips at the end of their movies that show important plot points for future films. The film crew whose names usually get overlooked must appreciate that.
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I know I'm a crank, but if I liked the movie at all, I will watch through all the credits. If the ushers don't like it, I really don't care. It's part of the movie, as far as I am concerned. Usually, but not always, unrewarding but who wants to rush off after a movie, anyway?

And of course, I have seen ALL those little end-of-credits surprises that most people miss.
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To watch the credits is also kind of showing my respect to all those people who participated in the making of any particular movie.
So beside getting to see s.th. funny or surprising (bloopers etc.) I also learn where this movie had been shot, who operated the camera, who was responsible for lights, who played the drunkard sitting at the bar and so on.

And, as some people already mentioned, it gives me time to digest the movie and find a smooth transition back to reality.

Of course I do not watch end credits of movies I thought were horrible (e.g. "Avatar").
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I also noticed the top-to-bottom scroll of "Repo Man." I always thought that was really cool, so I did the same thing at the end of a short film I made earlier this year.
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Depends if they catch my attention right away. Some end credits, like Wall-E, are interesting right off the bat. I don't stick around and wait to see if anything is gonna happen, though.
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As a youngster, when my Dad would take me to Director's Guild screenings, I was taught that it was respectful to watch the end credits all the way through.

I saw The Matrix 9 times (my personal record), and I only left when the lights came up, every time.
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The wife and I stay until the absolute end of the credits. What's the rush on leaving the theater anyway? Besides, if the movie theater is crowded it gets everyone out of the way.
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I always like watching end credits, because even if there are no interesting bits in them, I still enjoy listening to the music that plays over the credits.

Plus, it sort of gives me time to digest the movie, especially if it was a movie that really moved me.

However, I rarely do it in cinemas [even though I WANT to], because the ushers look pissed off. :D
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I really enjoyed reading people's reasons for watching end credits, especially about respect for the people whose names are listed. I watch them but thought I was about the only one, there's such a mass migration when they begin.

I have mild Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder so seing the movie from absolute beginning to absolute end is the only way I'm comfortable, even if people I'm with leave when the credits begin.

Jackie Chan movies also have outtakes over the beginning of the credits. And Pixar movies list the names of the babies born to their people during the production. That's kind of sweet.

Also, the music that we hear in the movie is usually listed late in the credits. I think a lot of people stay for that.

In my experience, the ushers waiting to clean the theater are always polite about me watching. In return, I never leave trash for them to clean.
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Wayne's World is good, too.

My friends and I always stay to the end, waiting for a "Skeletor" - The credits for "Masters of the Universe" were the best! "I'll be back!"

We kinda go MST3K on it, too, looking for silly names and jobs - best boy always cracks me up.
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I like to stay and watch the credits, but I live in China and sometimes the theaters here just turn the projection off before the credits finish! Plus I get very annoyed looks from the cleaning crew. None of my Chinese friends "get it" either.
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